By Nicholas Preston (UW-Madison)
A new publication contributes additional evidence for the connection between naturally-occurring neurotoxins, produced by cyanobacteria, and neurodegeneration in vulnerable humans (Pablo and others 2009).
Cyanobacteria, sometimes described as blue-green algae, are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine and terrestrial systems, where they produce the neurotoxic amino acid b-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) as a chemical defense against predators.
A new publication contributes additional evidence for the connection between naturally-occurring neurotoxins, produced by cyanobacteria, and neurodegeneration in vulnerable humans (Pablo and others 2009).
Cyanobacteria, sometimes described as blue-green algae, are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine and terrestrial systems, where they produce the neurotoxic amino acid b-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) as a chemical defense against predators.
The co-occurrence of BMAA in brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's, and Huntington's disease, suggests the BMAA in the environment may trigger the onset of these diseases (Papapetropoulos 2007, Pablo and others 2009). There is controversy over the connection, stemming from early work on cyanobacteria in the diet of the Chamorro people of Guam and elevated incidence of neurodegenerative disease (Cox and others 2003). Indeed, the debate continues as to whether the pathway for the toxin in Guam involves contaminated water, tortillas or biomagnification in flying foxes (Borenstein and others 2009).